TotalEnergies Secures Major Offshore Exploration License in Lebanon

TotalEnergies Expands Offshore Exploration in Lebanon

TotalEnergies has entered into a new agreement with Lebanon, securing rights to explore an offshore area in the eastern Mediterranean adjacent to a block where the company has already begun exploration activities. The French energy giant announced the deal on Friday.

As the lead operator with a 35% stake, TotalEnergies—alongside partners Eni (35%) and QatarEnergy (30%)—has formalized an arrangement with Lebanese authorities to commence exploration in Block 8.

Block 8 lies to the west of Block 9, where TotalEnergies conducted drilling operations in 2023 in search of hydrocarbons.

“While the results from drilling the Qana well in Block 9 were not as hoped, our commitment to exploring Lebanon’s offshore potential remains strong,” stated Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.

“Our attention now turns to Block 8, where we will work closely with our partners Eni and QatarEnergy, as well as Lebanese officials,” he added.

After several years prioritizing clean energy initiatives, TotalEnergies and other leading oil and gas companies are renewing their focus on exploration efforts.

During the second quarter of 2025, TotalEnergies “expanded its exploration portfolio by obtaining new permits in the U.S. Gulf, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Algeria,” Pouyanné shared during the company’s Q2 earnings call.

The company is also developing offshore resources near Suriname, Guyana’s neighbor, and is advancing a project off the coast of Namibia in southwestern Africa.

Lebanon’s Offshore Ambitions

Lebanon is optimistic that its offshore territory could yield a major oil and gas discovery, similar to the Leviathan and Tamar fields near Israel, the Aphrodite field off Cyprus, or Egypt’s Zohr gas field.

At the close of last year, Lebanon and Cyprus finalized a maritime border agreement, setting the stage for joint energy projects, including the exploration of Mediterranean gas reserves.

Both Cyprus and Lebanon are part of the Levant Basin Province, a region that stretches across the maritime zones of Israel, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey. A 2010 USGS assessment estimated that the basin contains roughly 1.7 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. For Lebanon, tapping into these resources could be a vital step toward addressing its ongoing economic challenges.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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